The Greatest Treasure
by piratelassie15
Summary: A different sort of motive drives our favorite Treasure-Hunting Trio to search for a 'treasure' that is monetarily worthless. However, a mysterious stalker seems to be intent on stopping them, and will use any measure to do so... including murder.


_**The Greatest Treasure**_

_Prologue: A Forgotten Cave_

_February 3rd, 1721_

_Kingston, Jamaica_

The ramshackle prison lay just east of the coast. The only window in the prison cell also faced east, which was probably a good thing. The cell's occupant probably would want to be seeing the ocean when she died.

"I'm sorry, miss." the prison guard was saying to the frantic young woman who looked like she was ready to tunnel under the ground with a spoon to get into the prison. "I can't let you in. Orders. Surely you understand."

"But this is an emergency." the frantic young woman pressed the guard. "Please. My mistress is dying." she gestured frantically to the cell in question, the one with the window that faced east.

"I understand, but she was sentenced for a hanging anyway once her baby was born." the guard said, looking a trifle irritated. "I mean, she's going to die anyway, so..."

"I don't care about her dying!" the young woman half shouted. "I need to talk to her before she dies! Please!"

"I'm sorry, truly, but..."

"Fine." the young woman reached into her saddlebag and came out with a solid gold pocketwatch. "Take this."

"A bribe?"

"Yes. Now will you let me in?"

The guard looked the young woman up and down several times. She looked incredibly poor, almost like a servant girl. How did she come by a watch such as this? And then he realized which prisoner she was intent on seeing. That explained a lot.

"You consort with pirates often, miss?" the guard asked, fingering the pocketwatch. Stolen, no doubt, regardless of any foolish stories about family heirlooms.

At her wit's end, the frantic young woman finally gave a loud sigh of frustration and prompty kicked the guard in the groin.

Now that her adversary was properly distracted, the young woman charged past him and ran straight for the cell, the one with the window facing east.

"Miss Read?" the young woman pressed her nose to the bars. It was too dark to make out anything, but she knew her mistress was in there.

"Sarah?" a dazed female voice whispered from inside the cell. "Faraday, my girl?"

"I'm here, mistress." Sarah said. "You have to tell me how to find the cave."

"The cave?" Mary Read whispered hoarsely. "I'm afraid you're out of your head, girl. The cave is gone."

Well, they had said that she was delusional.

"The cave's still there." the young woman, Sarah Faraday, pressed her mistress anxiously. "You have to tell me where it is."

"My dear, why would I do such a thing as that?"

"What's going to happen to it all once you're gone?"

"I'm not going anywhere, darling."

"Yes, you are, mistress. If you survive your illness and your baby's birth, they're going to hang you anyway."

"My child will know." Mary Read said in a faraway voice. "I will pass the information to him."

Okay, Sarah thought to herself. Now her mistress really was going crazy. "What if the baby doesn't live? You have to tell me, mistress. If you don't, it'll all be gone forever."

"Ask the guard, Sarah, he knows."

Biting her lip in frustration, Sarah finally burst out, "No, no he doesn't! You're ill, mistress, and you're going to die. So tell me. Before it's all for nothing."

"It was never for nothing, girl. Never say that."

Sarah was about to vent her frustration, but, at that moment, the guard came charging in like an angry bull.

"All right, miss. Your visit's over. Out."

Sarah turned a tortured face to him. Acting had always been her thing. That was why Miss Read had kept her in her service for so long.

"Please..." Sarah gasped, trying to bring up some tears to go with those lost puppy-dog eyes. "You couldn't... I have to get her to tell me..."

"I don't care if you two are trying to save the world; you need to get out. Right now." the guard snarled. Compassion was obviously not his strong point. He made a grab for Sarah, but she quickly jumped to her feet and sidestepped.

"You know, I hate to have to do this..." Sarah drawled, and tore her pistol out of her belt with such a flourish that the belt ripped. "But you're really being annoying."

It was a bit more theatrical than she normally would've done, but she always liked to show off her pirating skills in front of Miss Read. Even if Miss Read was feverishly delirious and not paying a whole lot of attention.

If bribery and compassion couldn't get his attention, the gun surely did. He paled quickly and backed up a few steps.

"What do you want?" he asked, but his voice didn't have the usual sharpness.

"To let me stay here as long as I need to."

"Fine... yes, fine, miss." he said, eyeing the gun cautiously. He took a few more steps back, but did not completely leave the room.

Kneeling back down on the ground, Sarah pressed her nose to the bars again. "Mistress," she started, but Miss Read spoke before her.

"Sarah..." she said. "You're right. Die I shall. But I cannot tell you where the cave is."

"But you must." Sarah pressed. "You have to. Who will find it? What will become of it?"

"You have to find Jack. You know of whom I speak?"

"Yes."

"He knows. I have told him."

"Why can't you tell _me_?" Sarah demanded, then realized how rude she sounded. "Sorry."

"Never say sorry, dear, when you haven't done anything wrong." Miss Read seemed more like her old not-delirious self, but this also seemed like a bad sign. "You'll find out soon enough why I can't tell you. Talk to Jack. He knows. Oh, and Sarah?"

"Yes, Mary?" Sarah asked. It was the first time she had called her mistress by her first name. Neither of them really noticed.

"Tell my sister that the contract lies in the stone chest underneath my final hammock."

Sarah could not make heads or tails out of this statement. Miss Read didn't even have a sister. However, before she could question, Miss Read gave her last breath and died.

"God bless your soul, mistress." Sarah said quietly. She did not cry. Mary had lead a brave life, but it was not a happy one. "God bless your soul."


End file.
